DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXIII.

Previous

Figs. 132 and 133.—Small head of boy, in bronze, with three raised tribal marks over each eye, and two vertical marks on forehead. Head-dress with crest.

Fig. 134.—Figures in bronze, representing two rude human figures, male and female, attending an animal, probably a bear. A plate, or board, of three rows of circles with ten circles in each row, is laid out before the figures, and is perhaps a game of mancala, of which examples are seen in Plate XX, Fig. 116, and Plate XXVIII, Figs. 184 and 185. The female figure has very large anklets, and her hands are spread upon her stomach. The hair is plaited and ornamented with knobs, resembling a Mexican pottery figure in this collection. The hair of the male figure is plaited and turned over on the left side, and he is sitting cross-legged. His left arm and hand are spread upon the bear, and he has a rod in the right hand. A burnt core of sand is seen under the thin metal pedestal.

Fig. 135.—Brass bottle, hung by chain, and ornamented with representation of twisted twine, and a guilloche pattern without pellets round the swell. The rings for hanging it are similar to those on the powder flask, Figs. 56 and 57, Plate IX. A similar brass bottle, but smaller, is represented in Plate XXXV, Fig. 267.

Figs. 137 and 138.—A very rude head of bronze; probably used as the stand for a carved tusk. Four tribal marks over each eye; the eyes projecting like those of Figs. 265-6, Plate 35. This is the rudest head in the collection.

Fig. 139.—A cylindrical stand of bronze, for carved tusks, representing on the outside four female figures standing, with bands of upright interlaced strap-work between. All the figures are holding objects in their hands. One holds a bird, another a sistrum, which is being beaten with a stick; the rest are broken. Two of the bands of interlaced strap-work are of thin repoussÉ work, and nailed on with bronze nails. The base and top are ornamented with looped straps, similar to No. 140. All the figures have three incised tribal marks over the eyes, and crested head-gear. A vertical hole for the carved tusk runs down the centre, like those in all the human heads.

Fig. 140

Fig. 140.—Armlet of brass, pierced work, ornamented with bands of looped straps, similar to Fig. 139, and two bands of concentric semicircles alternating with Maltese crosses. Around the centre is a band of broken guilloche pattern, forming a transitional link between the guilloche, and a peculiar floral ornament common to Benin art. The representation of European screw-heads forms part of the ornamentation, and raised eyelets alternate with the screw-head ornaments.

Fig. 141.—Armlet of copper, ornamented with horizontal human heads of brass. The head-dresses are ornamented with fish-scale pattern, and the hair is combed out straight. The heads alternate with double-coiled mud-fish, resembling Fig. 276, Plate XXXVI. It is not quite easy to understand how this work was done. Both the copper and the brass appear to have been formed by casting.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Clyx.com


Top of Page
Top of Page